Diagnosis: body slender, head less than 25% of SL, snout rather spatulate; posterior infra-orbital bones very narrow, shaped as simple half-tubes without any expansions or lobes. Mouth large, lower jaw with three large primary pores in a single row on its anterior half, secondary pores few, minute, almost invisible; teeth small, on premaxillaeuniserial in young, in narrow band in adults; on dentary in two bands, on vomer and palatines in two or three groups. Gillrakers rather long, lath-like, 1 + 1 + 13-15. Dorsal fin origin at midpoint of body, with 10-11 finrays; a short adiposedorsal fin present above anal fin; anal fin in last quarter of body, with 19-21 finrays; pectoral fin with 10-11 finrays; pelvic fin just in front of dorsal fin, with 9 finrays; caudal fin forked. Scales cycloid, rather large; lateral line conspicuous, 45-50 scales. Vertebrae 47-50. Pyloric caeca 8-11. Colour: in isopropanol, olive brown; two ventral black bands formed by the peritoneum; operculum and interior of mouth black; a large blackish triangular spot on base of caudal finrays. Size: to 270 mm.

Habitat: oceanic, deep meso- to bathypelagic, larvae and freshly metamorphosed juveniles epipelagic. Food: smaller plankton, mainly copepods. Reproduction: according to larvaldistribution, spawning probably occurs in the North Atlantic in a belt stretching across the ocean in subtropical latitudes. Specimens approaching sexual maturity lose their teeth and gillrakers completely; the only known specimen ready to spawn appeared so emaciated as to suggest a moribund condition.

Distribution: northward to Madeira and southern Portugal. Elsewhere, Atlantic between 40° N and 40° S, also Indian and Pacific Oceans south of 20° S.